Does anybody know.....

[Drtooth]

Originally posted by muppetfan620
First, thanks for the info.

Second, I'm one of the few who happens to like Dragontales and Arthur, so I'm not too upset about it.

Millicent

I hate hate hate Dragon Tales... but Artur... OOOH man, I love Arthur! I have been reading his books since I was a kid, and I was SOOOOO excited when I found out he was to have his own TV show. That's what I meant to say. I love the show, but I've seen every episode a Million times. I just wish PBS wasn't so stingy, and they should stop ordereing garbage shows like J J the Airplane and Yucky old Teletubbies.....

 

[ssetta]

The new season does start April 7th. And I do know they are putting very little into it, and that's why the show is in danger of coming to an end. I did hear the same thing about Dragon Tales, but they are no longer producing new episodes of Dragon Tales. So I don't know what's going on. Plus, they're called SESAME Workshop.

 

[MuppetQuilter]

Originally posted by scarecroe
I'm out of the loop on that. When did the government stop funding?

Funding for the arts is down in general. But the funding PBS gets (from the NEA and members and private donations) does not pay to produce SST. Sesame Workshop pays for the show via their endowment and (mostly) revenue from merchandise.

As I understand it, PBS dictates the number of episodes each season. PBS also decides when to begin airing the new season. I understand not putting them up during sweeps, when all the other shows bring out their top stuff, but April 7th seems a little ridiculous for the 2002-2003 season. Seems like at least one episode ought to have aired during 2002.

There are a lot of reasons for the decrease in episodes. Fewer parents are home with their kids, so that means fewer tv sets watching (30 kids can watch one tv at a daycare center). More competition from cable networks (Disney Channel, Noggin, Cartoon Network...). There are simply fewer kids watching Sesame Street. And while viewership is decreasing, costs keep increasing.

Everyone wants more Unpaved episodes on Noggin but the bottom line is the ratings weren't there. All the research indicates kids today won't watch the old episodes. I know that's hard to believe, I know we all have examples of kids who love the old episodes (my daughter certainly does) but that's just not what Noggin and Sesame Workshop have found and they need more viewers than the kids related to a small group of Muppet fans. It's simply not cost effective to air Unpaved-- which is why it ended up in odd time slots in the first place, because it was adult Muppet fans watching, not kids. In television, as in most businesses, profit is the bottom line.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

"But the funding PBS gets ... does not pay to produce SST. Sesame Workshop pays for the show via their endowment and (mostly) revenue from merchandise."

I understand that the opposite is the case. Merchandise income pays for Sesame Workshop's overheads, research and staff, but NOT the production budget for the show. This is to prevent the show becoming merchandise-driven.

PBS only ordered 26 episodes this year because they don't feel Sesame rates well enough. The reduced episode run is a result of a reduced PBS budget and episode order, not Sesame Workshop shifting funds or focus.

The Workshop is not involved in PBS programming. PBS is free to air repeats of any shows it has the rights to.

secret squirrel

 

[CookieFan]

Originally posted by Secret Squirrel

PBS only ordered 26 episodes this year because they don't feel Sesame rates well enough. The reduced episode run is a result of a reduced PBS budget and episode order, not Sesame Workshop shifting funds or focus.

That's interesting. I tried to find some info on this. A blurb from an article in Current Online: "Still, on an average week, more than 5.6 million households tune into Sesame Street and 7.5 million people aged 2 and older watch. Among all children's shows on television, the Street ranks eight on the list of the most watched. For mothers aged 18-49 with children under 3--the most coveted demographic in TV--Sesame Street is the second-most-watched kids' show. "

 

[Fozzie Bear]

You'll have to don a cape and tights and become Super Secret Squirrel and help us infiltrate that idea because SS MUST remain a major order for the Workshop, because if not we'll see more Barney and stuff, and I don't wanna see that!!

 

[Hays]

Folks, if all of this is true (and I have no reason to believe it isn't) then we all need to start a letter-writing campaign to PBS. Anybody want to come up with some text?

I have been pretty dissapointed with the new PBS Kids lineup; strikes me that they're cutting corners a little too hard.

In addition, if we back our letters up with a donation....

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Sounds like a plan!

BRIBERY!!

WOrks for me!!